Matthew Davis in his will leaves "to my daughter Elizabeth Davis Pitchford that
land whereon she now lives." Elizabeth Davis married Stirling Pitchford. The
home they lived in still stands today, and is known as the Pitchford Place.
(It is now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Otis Clark.)
Originally the house was one very large room built high from the ground, with
possibly a basement and perhaps a low-pitched room upstairs. At that period
every home had a kitchen in the yard, and an office in the yard to accommodate
the sons of the family and any gentleman guest. Elizabeth Pitchford's son Dr.
Thomas Pitchford, greatly enlarged the house, and the original is now the back wing.
The immense old room boasted a huge fireplace with a very high mantel that was
long and narrow. So high was the mantel that about half-way between that and
the fireplace was a smaller mantel shelf. This lower one found great favor in
the sight of the young children of the household, according to the daughter,
Mary Pitchford Egerton, who many years later told this story to her great niece,
Carrie Pitchford. She told it to me.
Her Mother had a bachelor brother who was vastly wealthy. He was known far and wide
as "Rich Peter Davis."... Little Mary knew of her Uncle Peter as a most benevolent
uncle. Now Mary loved her rag dolls, but she longed for a real "store bought doll"
more than anything else on this earth. Mary wanted a French doll. So after much
thought on the subject, she decided to try out the following scheme.
Dressing all her rag dolls, she placed them on the lower mantel shelf. True to
her expectations, it was not long after reaching there that her uncle asked,
"Mary, do you have many dolls?"
"Yes, Uncle Peter," said Mary, pointing to the dolls sitting along the low shelf.
But all of them are rag dolls."
"But you love them, even if they are rag dolls.".
Mary nodded. Then thinking she must state her case a little better,
she said in a most forlorn voice, "I do love them, but they are all rage
dolls. I have never had a store bought doll in my life."
Just at that time the men folk came up from the field, and her uncle went
out to greet them.
A lump welled up in little Mary's throat that would not go down for weeks.
And then one day when the mail was brought, there was a long box for Mary.
Much excitement and speculation were shown by the other children.
Mary's fingers shook so she could scarcely untie the knot. But at last the
box was opened, the tissue paper pulled back, and in the box lay the most
beautiful French doll Mary has ever seen.
Pinned to the doll's dress was a card. With a beautiful flourish that was
so characteristic of that day, were quilled these words, "With love to
Little Mary from her uncle, Peter Davis."